Idaho senators encourage Idaho to accept research deal

Idaho’s two U.S. senators hope Idaho will accept shipments of spent reactor fuel from the U.S. Department of Energy for research purposes.

“It would be a real benefit financially for Idaho, for the lab for America but having said that, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but we shouldn’t look at it that way. We should look at it that we should do everything we can to make this happen,” said Sen. Jim Risch.

“Frankly the INL is strong. It’s our lead nuclear lab in the United States and it will be strong into the future, but this is a very important opportunity and the research and missions that come from that research, I think, are very critical,” Sen. Mike Crapo said. “I’m very hopeful that we can resolve the issues that are outstanding.”

Risch said all it would take to get this done is a small meeting with state and federal officials.

Crapo and Risch were in Idaho Falls on Tuesday for the Intermountain Energy Summit.

The Department of Energy gave Idaho a two-month deadline in July to accept the waste or the agency said it would redirect the $20 million a year research project somewhere else.